Episode Summary From feeling like an outsider in fashion to founding Black Girls in Design London (now 570+ members across UK & Ghana), Sandra Adu reveals how lockdown workshops turned into flagship programmes with Canva, BrainStation and Akaya Foundation. Discover the raw truth about self-funding, getting rejected 3× for grants, and the mentorship + accountability strategies that finally unlocked multi-year funding to empower 300+ Black girls in design.Chapters [00:00] Intro & Powerbook 2025 Recognition [00:51] Sandra’s Journey: Fashion → Graphic Design → Agency Art Director (Rolls-Royce, HSBC, Adobe) [01:48] Lockdown Pivot → Lecturer at UAL & Royal College of Art → PhD [02:15] Founding Black Girls in Design (2022) – The Community She Wished She Had [02:44] Flagship Programmes: Design Her Skills (Canva), Design Her Futures (Ghana-UK), Mastering Your Skills (BrainStation) [03:41] Self-Funding Reality: Building Everything Herself + Spending Thousands While Full-Time Employed [05:01] Rejected 3× → Won Multi-Year Funding: The Power of Storytelling & Community Support [06:30] Accountability Strategy: Mentorship Circles That Actually Work [09:25] How Corporates & Investors Can Find & Fund Black-Led Impact Businesses [11:50] Advice to Aspiring Founders: Purpose Over Profit, Start Small, Trade Skills for Access Key Discussion Points <ul><li>3 flagship programmes reaching UK + Ghana </li><li>Turned 3 lockdown workshops into partnerships with Canva, BrainStation & Akaya Foundation </li><li>Rejected 3 times for funding → finally won by leading with personal story & measurable impact </li><li>Built a 570+ strong global community in just 3 years </li><li>79% of Black business owners feel unsupported — here’s how to change that</li></ul>Key Takeaways <ul><li>Your personal “why” and story are your strongest funding assets </li><li>Mentorship + accountability circles > life coaches </li><li>Write the vision, share it publicly, let the community hold you to it </li><li>Start where you are: Sandra traded logos for event tickets when she couldn’t afford entry</li></ul>Notable Quotes <ul><li>“Your story is what lands the funding.” – Sandra Adu </li><li>“I never wanted the next generation of Black girls to feel as isolated as I once did.” – Sandra Adu </li><li>“Profit-first founders give up in year one. Think purpose first.” – Sandra Adu </li></ul>Actionable Insights for Businesses & Investors <ul><li>Corporates: Partner with visible community organisations (e.g., Black Girls in Design, Foundervine) instead of building your own pipelines </li><li>Recruiters: Tap into ready-made talent pools of Black creatives instead of asking “where are they?” </li><li>Founders: Write your goals publicly → join a mentorship circle → get rejected → refine → win </li><li>Trade skills for access when cash is tight (Sandra’s logo-for-ticket hack still works in 2025)</li></ul>Resources <ul><li>Black Girls in Design → <a href="https://blackgirlsindesign.com/">https://blackgirlsindesign.com</a></li><li>Instagram & LinkedIn → @blackgirlsindesign_ </li><li>Wray Forward & Powerbook 2025 → <a href="https://www.wrayandnephew.com/wray-forwards">https://www.wrayandnephew.com/wray-forwards</a></li></ul>The Cashflow Show can be reached here:Website: <a href="http://www.thecashflowshowpodcast.com">www.thecashflowshowpodcast.com</a> <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/WhctKKZGTxBSHmxFBFZTZplRtGfhwDzlrpHtwxzKbdKqqnKTbWRxRrFGSpJThZKHDpCQhFQ?compose=fwmvGMBmCbZDMngDDpPjGDzpkZlZjphFLWBPkspbnNdlnfFJnLrXhCGDSnFXGmXKfjRjGRwSVSbsxrbBLrtppXDBCTShmGpzWcxCttjDdWGGvxtdNMFVmailto:thecashflow">Email: thecashflowshowpodcast@gmail.com</a>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thecashflowshow">https://twitter.com/thecashflowshow</a> Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thecashflowshowpodcast">https://instagram.com/thecashflowshowpodcast</a>To sponsor or advertise on The Cashflow Show Podcast, contact us at <a href="https://dashboard.transistor.fm/shows/the-cashflow-show/episodes/newmailto:thecashflowshowpodcast@gmail.com">thecashflowshowpodcast@gmail.com</a>Clayton M Coke can be found here:LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiNlc7Y0v3jAhVTT8AKHfLpBtAQFjAAegQIBhAB&url=https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claytoncoke&usg=AOvVaw2SpfsRoINDPTGYq3qjGngQ">https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claytoncoke</a>Website: <a href="https://www.prmsltd.co.uk">https://www.prmsltd.co.uk</a>Email: <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/WhctKKZGTxBSHmxFBFZTZplRtGfhwDzlrpHtwxzKbdKqqnKTbWRxRrFGSpJThZKHDpCQhFQ?compose=fwmvGMBmCbZDMngDDpPjGDzpkZlZjphFLWBPkspbnNdlnfFJnLrXhCGDSnFXGmXKfjRjGRwSVSbsxrbBLrtppXDBCTShmGpzWcxCttjDdWGGvxtdNMFVmailto:info@prmslt">info@prmsltd.co.uk</a> Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/prmsltd">https://twitter.com/prmsltd</a> Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/prmsltd/">https://www.instagram.com/prmsltd/</a> Our theme music is called "The Mediator - aka Theme from The Cashflow Show" [PRS] and "Better Call Clayton" [PRS] “What are YOU like?”, “60 Second Shoot-Out” &"What About The Tech?" are all intellectual properties of Dialogue [London] Ltd(c) Clayton M Coke/PRMS Ltd/Dialogue [London] Ltd | All Rights Reserved 

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How Sandra Adu Built a Global Community of 570+ Black Women Designers | Black Girls In Design

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